


Just Take The Leap (And You're Free)

by patdkitten



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Dragonrider Louis, F/M, Genderswap, Prince Harry Styles, Secretly A Girl Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patdkitten/pseuds/patdkitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there's one thing Louis hates about being part of the King's Dragon Wing, it's inspection time. The leather saddle, padded for comfort of both rider and dragon and excellent in the heat of battle or flight, becomes terribly uncomfortable when she's forced to sit ramrod straight for hours in the hot sun. Not to mention her formal riding leathers are gods unbearably awful. She's pretty sure her bindings have melted into the sheepskin lining.</p><p><i>You are doing fine, my love.</i> Stormsong's voice is, like always, full of love and humour at her rider's discomfort. Like her rider, the massive beast is also at attention, wedge shaped head held high on her long, sinewy neck. Louis can't see her dragon's eyes, but she knows that the opalescent eyes are glittering in the dragon's humour. There's a little rumble beneath and between Louis' thighs, a dragon's giggle. <i>Your prince is doing the inspection with his father.</i></p><p>---<br/>Louis is a dragonrider, hiding the fact she's really a woman and hiding the fact she'd really, <i>really</i> like to be flown by Prince Harry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Take The Leap (And You're Free)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [panda_bear21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_bear21/gifts).



> For the prompt: Dragons au!!!! Like if they owned or rode or trained dragons. (Not in the HarryPotter universe.)
> 
> The asker also said it could include genderswap, and I.. don't think this is quite what they meant, but I liked the idea of Louis hiding the fact she's a girl simply to be something that only guys could do, and this is the result. I hope I did the prompt justice!
> 
> Title from "Paloma" by Carbon Leaf.  
> Cheerleading props to D, S, R, K, and T.
> 
> Other notes:  
> Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery was introduced to me in my formative years, and was a bedtime story between my dad and I. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede was introduced to me as a teenager. Needless to say, that's where my interest of dragons and how they'd be come from.

If there's one thing Louis hates about being part of the King's Dragon Wing, it's inspection time. The leather saddle, padded for the comfort of both rider and dragon and excellent in the heat of battle or flight, becomes terribly uncomfortable when she's forced to sit ramrod straight for hours in the blazing hot sun. Not to mention her formal riding leathers are gods unbearably awful. She's pretty sure her bindings have melted into the sheepskin lining.

 _You are doing fine, my love._ Stormsong's voice is, like always, full of love and humour at her rider's discomfort. Like her rider, the massive beast is also at attention, wedge shaped head held high on her long, sinewy neck. Louis can't see her dragon's eyes, but she knows that the opalescent eyes are glittering in the dragon's humour. There's a little rumble beneath and between Louis' thighs, a dragon's giggle. _Your prince is doing the inspection with his father._

“He's not my prince,” Louis mumbles, voice low. She wishes she could pull her riding googles down or that she had a darker tan that could hide the blush that threatens to colour her cheeks. She might be one of the best riders of the King's Dragon Wing, but she's _human_ and Prince Harry is terribly handsome.

There's another small rumble from the dragon. Louis doesn't have to see the dragon's eyes to know they're rolling in her amusement. Stormsong has no response beyond the rumble of laughter, because Louis' fondness for her prince is well known to the dragon.

As the pair of men – king and prince – pass beneath Stormsong's head, Louis can't stop her gaze from dropping down to watch the prince ride by. She's seen the prince perform in riding drills with the horse-mounted soldiers, and knows that he sits his horse very well, but it's another thing entirely to see it so close.

What she doesn't expect is to find the prince looking back up at her, his large green eyes warm and the hint of a smile gracing his face. As they pass Stormsong and approach Blackthorn, Commander Liam's dragon, Louis catches the prince turning a bit in his seat to look back at her.

 _Blackthorn says the commander says that is a path you should not go down._ Stormsong shifts her forefeet, her voice becoming indifferent in Louis' mind as she flexes her claws in the dirt of the inspection field. _Although he will not pass it along to the commander, I have told Blackthorn you wish the prince to fly you._

Louis shuts her eyes tightly, fighting to control the blush that's threatening again. “Please stop interfering in my love life, love.”

Stormsong doesn't respond to that, but Louis can feel that the topic isn't dropped. It'll be a matter of time before it's breached again.

 

 

After the inspection and the dragonriders are given leave by Commander Liam to disperse, Stormsong sends the picture of their favorite lagoon into Louis' head. Louis laughs, patting the dragon's long neck as the dragon waddles toward their barracks. “Very well, love. I'll go collect supplies for a long bath, and to get out of these formal leathers for my regular riding leathers.”

 _Excellent_. Stormsong stops outside their door, lowering her neck and adjusting her leg so Louis can climb down.

Louis changes into her regular riding leathers quickly, grabbing soap for herself and oil for Stormsong's scales and throwing them into a saddlebag before making her way back out. She stops abruptly at the sight of the figure politely talking to her dragon.

“She can't talk to you,” she begins carefully, swinging the saddlebag over her shoulder as Prince Harry turns toward her with a warm smile on his face. Louis has never been this close to the prince before, has never noticed that when the prince smiles, there are dimples carved into his cheeks. Gods, she wants to press her thumb into one. Granted, she'd also like to wrap her thighs around his head, but that's another story altogether.

“I'd like to think that I can guess what she's thinking,” Prince Harry continues to smile, clearly unphased by Louis' cautious attitude. “You're Louis, right? And Stormsong?”

 _He has heard from his father that we are the best in the Wing._ Stormsong said, her mindvoice swirling with warm shades as she lowers her head to Louis for a pat.

Louis obliges, rubbing the dragon's nose. She tries to ignore the swelling of pride the dragon's words put in her – she's always been one of the best, not _the_ best – but it still takes her a moment to realise that she hasn't responded to the prince.

“Yeah. I'm Louis, and this great beast is Stormsong.” She rubs the dragon's nose again, and has to swallow when Prince Harry's hand comes up to rub the dragon's nose in the same place.

 _You should tell him you wish him to fly you._ Stormsong's eyes whirl in amusement before closing in pleasure. If there's one thing Louis' dragon loves, it's being petted. _Repeatedly fly you, and often._

Louis chokes at that, staring wide eyed at her dragon. She knows that Prince Harry can't hear her dragon – no one other than the dragon's rider can hear their dragon – but that doesn't stop her from feeling embarrassed the dragon's admitting that so blatantly, even if it _is_ true.

“What's she saying?” Prince Harry's voice cuts through the embarrassment. Louis' head snaps to him, and he smiles warmly again. “You had a reaction to something, so I'm guessing she said something to you.”

“She says you were telling her your father told you we were the best,” Louis half lies. It's truth enough, Stormsong _had_ said that before. She shifts the saddlebag on her shoulder, wondering how she can politely get away. This close to the prince, the subject of her nightly fantasies, she's quite willing to let two of her biggest secrets out, and she can't do that. One of them would end with her losing _everything_.

“I did,” the prince agrees amiably before nodding to the saddlebag. “Were you going somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah,” Louis coughs. “We were feeling pretty warm after that inspection, so Stormsong was thinking of a long soak in a lagoon we know of. The formal riding leathers are really warm. They're perfect for cold weather, not so nice in this heat.”

“I can imagine.” Prince Harry's hand rubs and scratches Stormsong's nose like he's petting a horse's nose, and while another dragon might not like being petted that way, Louis doesn't know how the prince knows that Stormsong loves being petted that way. “Can I join you? I've always wanted to ride dragonback.”

Louis wants to say no. Louis _knows_ she should say no. She may have wild, erotic fantasies about the man standing in front of her, but none of them are worth exposing her two biggest secrets. Besides, he's the crown prince and shouldn't leave the palace, even with the best rider and dragon of the King's Dragon Wing.

Instead, though, what Louis says is, “Sure. We'll stay low so you don't get too cold, since you're not dressed for riding a dragon.”

 

 

The ride to the lagoon is both the best and worst ride of Louis' life. She'd known that the prince was an exceptional rider when it came to horses, but since a dragon is wider in girth than a horse, she'd figured the prince would have some uncomfortable moments getting used to the difference. But no: the prince had taken to sitting Stormsong like she was a horse, not a dragon. She's glad of that, to be sure; although Stormsong could definitely handle the extra weight, Louis avoids having more than just herself on the dragon's strong back, so she's glad the prince isn't a nuisance.

While that is the reason it's the best ride of Louis' life, it also brings her to the reason it's the worst. Prince Harry is sitting in the saddle behind her, with his arms firmly tucked around her waist, like he does this daily and not like it's his first time.

It may be offering her already overactive imagination _more_ fuel for the fire, domestic this time instead of its usual erotic. She could get used to this; the prince could have riding leathers made, and she could ferry him places in the sky while the rest of his retinue travel by road.

 _He is no more taxing to me than you are._ Stormsong tells her soothingly as the dragon begins her descent. _I am no steed, but I do not mind carrying him if it makes my love happy._

Louis wants to answer, _would_ answer, but she doesn't want to have that conversation with the prince there. She might actually be a bit of a coward.

She's saved, though, when the prince gasps in her ear as the dragon's descent brings into view their destination: a large opening in otherwise pristine forest at the base of a cliff, with water roaring down into a deep pool at its base. They'd found it a few years before, shortly after Stormsong had grown big enough to be ridden properly and Louis had started to run out of excuses of why she couldn't bathe with her fellow soldiers. Showing the prince her private oasis feels incredibly intimate. Just as intimate as it would be if Louis were to tell him her secrets. Not even Commander Liam, close as Louis is to the man, knows about this private little spot that's just Louis' and Stormsong's.

“It's gorgeous,” Prince Harry says as Stormsong lands smoothly on the tall grass. The dragon angles her neck and foreleg for their dismount and Louis turns to explain how to the prince, only to find him sliding down like he's a pro at it and not like it had been his first ride.

“You catch on quickly.” Louis can't help the smile that crosses her face as she follows him to the ground before turning so she can remove the saddle from Stormsong's broad neck. The dragon rumbles in gratitude, maneuvering her large body gracefully in the small – for the dragon – space and sliding into the water. Louis knows that Stormsong's settled in the deepest part of the lagoon when the large dark blue dragon becomes completely covered by water. All, that is, except the large wedge shaped head, which settles on the surface so the dragon appears like a large crocodile with whirling opalescent eyes covered in the dragon's thin inner eyelid.

“You're the first one we've ever shown this place to, so don't tell anyone.” Louis goes on, carrying the saddle to a reasonable distance from the water. She knows from experience that the saddle will become uncomfortable for everyone if it gets wet, and she'd like to avoid at least one thing going wrong.

“I won't,” the prince promises with a warm smile, and Louis gets a bit lost in the green-gold of his eyes and the dimples in his cheeks to process his movement until his shirt is tossed to the grass. And, oh _gods_. There is a _flaw_ in all of this. She'd known that bringing the prince here was a bad idea, that it would potentially expose her biggest secrets. It is, though, one thing to be aware of secrets getting exposed; it's entirely different to be physically faced with said secrets being exposed.

She must get caught up in her thoughts for too long because suddenly his hands are on the buckles of her riding jacket and he's smiling teasingly at her.

“Thought this was a cooling off sort of thing and it was warm in these.” His voice is as equally teasing as his smile, and his nimble fingers make quick work of her jacket, letting it land near his shirt. And _oh gods_ , she's had fantasies that exist like this, and she should definitely put a stop to this. She should definitely retreat, admit that bringing him here was a mistake, admit that she has to bathe with a shirt on to hide scars. She's certainly used the last to explain why she can't bathe with her fellow riders, so she knows it works as a viable excuse.

His hands move to the buckle of her belt and this time, she spurs into action, pulling back. She doesn't know why she's about to make things possibly harder for herself, possibly even get herself killed, but somehow she finds herself trusting that he could be trusted with her secrets.

“Can I trust you with another secret? One you _really_ can't tell anyone.” Her blue eyes stare into his, and although the teasing smile on his face slowly fades, she finds herself feeling relieved when he nods faintly.

“Of course.” He pauses like a thought suddenly occurs to him, and the smile starts to appear again. “Unless it's something like how you're going to murder me and have Stormsong eat me.”

Louis doesn't know why, has absolutely no rational explanation for it, but the joke manages to ease her mind completely. She also feels soothing vibes coming from the dragon submerged behind her, and Stormsong has always been a good judge of character. If Stormsong isn't feeling anything other than calm, Louis shouldn't either.

“No, I'm not going to kill you and have my dragon eat you,” Louis laughs. “I'm putting a lot of faith in you, my prince.”

Prince Harry reaches out a hand, lightly touching her shoulder and looking deeply into her eyes. He should maybe stop that; Louis' definitely feeling a bit weak in the knees from having him so close to her and in such a private place, even if he doesn't know her secrets. Yet. “I would love nothing more than your faith and trust in me.”

Louis nods, taking a deep breath and steeling herself a moment before she pulls her own shirt off in one swift motion. She feels naked in this moment, naked and bare and exposed, even though she's still in her boots and riding trousers, and the bandages cover up her breasts. Her breasts might be on the small side to begin with, made even flatter by the bandages, but without her shirt or riding jacket, there can be no mistaking her womanly curves.

She stands there for what feels like hours but could be minutes, wanting and hoping and praying to whatever gods are listening that the prince says something, _anything_. Doubt has begun to seep into her brain when the prince finally shakes himself.

“You're a woman.” The prince says, and Louis thinks her knees might actually melt entirely from relief because his voice carries confusion in it and not anger like she'd feared. “I didn't think a woman could be a dragonrider.”

“Women can't do much of anything but be meek and submissive to men.” Louis slides her finger under her bandages, wanting to undo them because they're sticky and uncomfortable, but she doesn't quite know how far she can go before the prince does get angry. The way his eyes linger on her breasts makes her think she might be able to get away with removing them. So does the fact his hands keep opening and closing like he's trying to not reach out and touch her exposed skin.

Maybe she's not the only one who has fantasies about the prince. She doesn't want to consider an alternative, like how he might only be interested in her _because_ she's a woman.

The doubt is starting to sneak back in when the prince reaches a tentative hand out, cupping a breast in one hand. “I've got a confession myself. This doesn't bother me, because I've had a thing for you for a while now.”

“A while, your highness?” She blinks, wanting to press herself into his hand and trying to regain some semblance of control. As if from a distance, she can feel Stormsong feeling smug in the water behind them.

“Yeah, although I was certain that you were a lad because of the dragonriding.” The prince moves his hand, deft fingers finding the edge of the bandaging and letting them flutter to the ground at Louis' feet. “Not that I mind you being a young woman instead.” His green eyes flick down to her lips, as if drawn by the movement of her tongue coming out to moisten suddenly dry lips. “You're still incredibly gorgeous to me, whatever your body is.”

Louis opens her mouth to respond, but the prince presses his lips to hers and _oh_. Her nights might be full of erotic fantasies involving the man before her, but they're nothing like the real thing. And it's been a very long time since she's kissed anyone, much less been intimate with someone. Definitely before she'd lied her way into the Dragon Wing and became Stormsong's rider.

The prince slides his hand down her back, resting lightly about the hem of her riding trousers, keeping it there as he pulls back. “This is okay, right?”

She has to swallow a few times, feeling like she can't get enough oxygen to her lungs, feeling like she can't slow her heartbeat down. Wonders if it's as loud to him as it is to her. Wonders if he can _smell_ her, the way a dragon can. “It's more than okay, my prince.”

“Harry,” the prince corrects, lips ghosting along her jawline to her neck and biting lightly at the junction. “And you better not be receptive simply because I'm your prince.”

She laughs at that, the sound high and wild, and Stormsong bugles from the lagoon. Her hand slides down his abdomen, nails lightly scratching against the skin, and cups the growing hardness in Harry's own trousers. “I assure you, Harry, that my receptiveness has nothing to do with the fact you're my prince and could blackmail me into whatever you want. In fact....”

She takes a step back, out of his reach, and swipes his legs out from under him in a move that would work better in a bar fight than in the middle of the lush forest they're currently in. He falls to the soft ground, surrounded by their already discarded clothing, but not before reaching out to pull her down with him.

“Cheat,” she scolds, grinning wide as she straddles his waist. “But I was going to say that I'm receptive to your advances because _I've_ been thinking of you too.”

“Oh, have you?” Harry says conversationally, like they're discussing the weather, even as his hands come to the ties of Louis's riding trousers and loosening them. He slides his hand in, fingers trailing through her wetness. “Is that why you're already so wet when all we've done is kiss?”

She shifts against his questing fingers, raking her own possessively down his chest. “I've had a lot of fantasies involving you. Stormsong's been of the opinion I should ask you to fly me for months now.”

He flicks his thumb against her clit, grinning up at her and keeping his tone genial. “Fly you?”

She slides her hand into her trousers, meeting his and helping him stroke herself. “When it's breeding season for dragons, a female will encourage interested males to chase her in a dramatic aerial scene. The fastest and strongest male gets to fly her, mate with her.”

He pulls both their hands out of her trousers, reaching up to tug them down. She pushes herself up, shifting about to peel them off and discarding them in the nest of clothing they're building around them. She's as naked as the day she was born, and she should feel embarrassed by the heated gaze Harry runs along her curves, but all she feels is empowered. Desired.

“Are you saying, then,” he says after a few heartbeats of gazing at her, curling his hands around her thighs. “That I'm the fastest and strongest male that gets to fly _you_ , dragon rider?”

She grins, catching her lip between her teeth as she brings her hands down to the fly of his trousers. “I'm saying _exactly_ that. But you've got to prove it, princeling.”

 

 

“I wish I could come with you on patrol.” Prince Harry's voice is soft, as soft and gentle as the fingers he cards through Louis' short hair. “And maybe that you grow this out. You'd look a goddess in white linen, maybe, with your hair cascading over those breasts of yours, astride your dragon....”

His voice trails off hopefully, and Louis can't help the smile she presses into the man's bare chest. She gives herself a couple heartbeats to enjoy the solid feel of him beneath her, a few heartbeats to revel in the afterglow and well-flown feeling, before she pushes herself up onto her forearms to look up at him. She taps a finger against his chest, nail just shy of a nipple.

“You cannot come on patrol with me because you're the prince.” She grins because it's been a point of contention between them ever since their first time in the lagoon a few months ago; that Harry always wants to be a bigger part of her life as a dragonrider, since she refuses to walk away from it to be his princess. “Two, long hair is a right _pain_ in a fur-lined helmet. And three, a white linen garment? On dragonback?” She arches an eyebrow. “With or without my saddle?”

Harry rolls his eyes, looking over at Stormsong dozing on her couch. “Stormsong, love, back up my dream here.”

Stormsong opens the eye closest to Louis' bunk, where the two lovers were avoiding their respective responsibilities for an afternoon shag. Harry was supposed to be with some of his father's advisors while Louis was supposed to be getting ready for her patrol coming up. _I am for the prince coming on patrol with us. Your uptick in being flown well means that I should like to be flown soon, and close to that, Commander Liam will not have me in any danger._ The great eye closes once again, and the calm mindvoice grows smug. _As for dreams, I would like to live in the palace proper._

There was a time when Louis had to translate, or alter, anything her dragon said about people, but somehow, after the lagoon, Harry could hear the dragon's thoughts as clearly as Louis could. Despite Louis' best efforts to find out the cause, Stormsong has stayed smugly quiet on it. There are times, like now, that Louis wishes that weren't the case, because the dragon's smug commentary on Louis' multiple rejections of being Harry's princess makes the man burst out laughing.

“Stormsong's clearly the smartest of us all.” He says smugly, pressing a kiss to Louis' lips and trying not to smile.

Louis huffs against his mouth, forcing herself not to roll her eyes at being bombarded from both sides. “Stormsong is very sure of what she wants for herself.”

Harry's hand reaches up to cup the back of Louis' head, pulling her down for a kiss. “And for her rider as well. I may convince you yet to let me go with you.”

 

 

"This dress doesn't look ill on me, does it?" Louis knows her voice is small and unsure, and completely unlike its normal self, and the dress - the soon to be reality the dress implies - is the culprit. She hasn't worn anything feminine in months, can only vaguely remember the last time her curves were so visible in clothing. She doesn't want to be here, she doesn't want to be anywhere in the palace. But her escape plan - her dragon - is heavily hindered by the eggs she's dutifully guarding on the hot sands of the hatching grounds.

Harry smiles, resting his hand on the small swell of Louis' belly. It's barely visible, but the swell is the reason that she's in a dress, the reason why her life is changing. It's not that she isn't in love with Harry, that their relationship has grown from that first encounter; she's spent her whole life with her real identity a secret, and a little one growing inside her doesn't let her keep that a secret. Liam had been upset when she'd come to him when they'd first been told about the little one by a content, and smug, Stormsong, but he'd come around to the idea as quickly as he'd come around to the realisation that Louis was actually a girl when she'd been in training to be a dragonrider. He'd also made sure that Louis wouldn't lose her dragon as well. “I think you look gorgeous. Just take a breath, take a moment to relax.”

The circular motion of his hand _is_ pretty soothing, and it calms her immensely. She presses her hands on top of his, stilling the comforting motion and taking his advice with deep breaths. She wishes, not for the first or last time, that the baby was big enough to kick against her hand. “I'd rather be on the hatching grounds with Stormsong.”

“There will be plenty of time after your presentation to my court.” Harry continues to smile, fingers lightly tapping against her stomach like he's trying to encourage the baby to kick against his hand.

“I've been presented. Your court knows who I am.” Her voice is less unsure now, and she feels more in control of herself. “I'm Louis, one of the best dragonriders of...”

“The King's Dragon Wing.” Harry interrupts with a grin. “You're the best dragonrider, by the way, and that's _not_ my own personal bias.”

“It's absolutely your personal bias.” Louis bursts out laughing. “But I appreciate the vote of confidence from you. Helps with the panic attack I'm having.”

Harry tilts her head up, leaning in to kiss her softly. “Commander Liam has already told you that you'll always have a place in the Dragon Wing, once you give birth to a healthy and happy little dragonling of our own.”

“I know.” She smiles against his mouth. They'll have their little dragonling to raise, and maybe some day, their little dragonling will be a dragonrider just like their mother.

She can only hope. Especially if it's a girl following in her footsteps.

 

 

If inspection time is Louis' _least_ favourite thing about being part of the King's Dragon Wing, her _most_ favourite thing is standing on the hatching grounds. There are traditions to be followed here as well; since the ground is heated from below by heated rock and hot springs, the sand is the perfect temperature to incubate the massive eggs that litter its surface and makes it too warm for anything but the lightest of fabrics and leather sandals. Just because she's now the princess of the kingdom and not just another dragonrider doesn't mean she can substitute the rules, but the white linen gown she'd been given reminds her both of when she was young and seeing a different set of eggs and Harry's fantasy of her as a goddess.

The thought makes her touch her hair briefly; a side effect of her pregnancy has meant that her hair is growing faster than she's used to and she hasn't decided if she's going to cut it now that she's a princess and not a dragonrider anymore.

She cradles her swelling belly as she makes the first tentative steps onto the hot, slippery sand and feels it pour into her leather sandals. There will be a silently judging etiquette teacher later to scold her for her behaviour, reminding her that she has different responsibilities as a princess. She also knows that Harry will have a quiet talk with the man, remind him that just because Louis _is_ his princess, she is first and foremost a dragonrider with her first and foremost responsibility to her dragon.

She shakes herself from her thoughts, wishing that she didn't have to switch one set of responsibilities for a different set. It's only a few months' time until then, and it feels like an entire lifetime away. She has more important things to concern herself with.

“Hello, my love.” She smiles warmly as she approaches her great beast, wrapped protectively around a few eggs at the far edge of the hatching grounds. Stormsong's jeweled eyes swirl happily as the dragon allows her to place a hand on an egg, feeling the occupant shift.

 _My dragonlings move in their homes like yours does._ Stormsong lightly touches Louis' swelling belly with her snout, and Louis can feel the glowing warmth and love the dragon sends to her unborn child. _She is strong, just like her mother. And like her father._

“Glowing praise from a dragon, indeed.” Louis laughs, rubbing the dragon's nose. “Much like you, the strongest and fastest male flew me. We shall both have strong dragonlings.”

Stormsong rumbles, settling her head in the sand once more and sending more warmth and love into her rider. Louis settles in against her dragon, wrapping the warmth and love around her. Soon, she'll watch young men, and hopefully young women as well, find the same love and warmth with the strong and healthy dragonlings in the eggs that surround her and her dragon. Soon, she'll give birth to a strong and healthy child of her own, and maybe some day, it'll be _her_ child standing on these sands, ready to bond with a dragonling of her very own.

Louis smiles, tilting her head up toward the sky. She's come a long way from wanting to be more than a young woman with her life decided for her, meek and obedient. She has her dragon, she has her prince, and soon, _soon_ she will know that becoming a dragonrider _and_ a princess will inspire other young women who want to be more into following _her_ path to being riders. She'll even start a wing of woman dragonriders, the Queen's Dragon Wing.

Not bad at all for a young woman who wanted to pretend she didn't fantasize about her prince.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me after the author reveal. :)


End file.
